Check out our interview with Young Rock-Pop Prodigy Kjersti Long.
Kjersti is a gifted storyteller and a deep thinker. She has unusual ways of spinning the dialog to express feelings listeners of all ages can relate to. Fans who buy the record get three other versions. “Not Your Princess” speaks to listeners about choosing their own path and being who they want to be, despite being told they should fit into a certain stereotypical box. These empowering and thought-provoking lyrics are delivered by a powerhouse vocalist, and to hear them coming from such a young human artist is nothing less than incredible. Kjersti has had many musical inspirations along her way.
Kjersti has performed at the most iconic rock venues in the country, including The Apollo (NYC), The Velour (Utah), House of Blues (SD) and The Stone Pony (NJ), as well as selling out a standing-room-only headlining events at The Bitter End (NYC) and The Delancey (NYC). She has written and performed with Grammy-nominated and winning artists and recorded with Grammy-winning producers in New York and Nashville.
Follow Kjersti @Kjersti.long
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Hi Kjersti, please tell us a little about you?
Well I’m a 14 year old girl, I love hanging outside, jamming on the piano, and reading anything sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, or action-based.
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Caring, morally strong. Bam 3 words (that took a lot of unnecessary brain power).
We’re sure you have been asked this million times but how did you get in the industry?
My dads side of the family are very Broadway and Shakespeare based, I come from a long line of actors. So I’ve been doing small acting roles ever since I was little. A voice coach out in UT discovered my talent for singing and music and helped me out. I guess that’s sort of how it started.
Describe your sound in 3 words?
Controlled, powerful, touching. (Wow these type of questions are hard)
Who influenced you and why did you choose to make music?
Well a lot of the 80’s rock bands are sort of my inspiration, also my dad is a big inspiration. Well I choose to make music because A. I have a blast doing it, and B. I love touching people with my music making them feel happy or sad.
Do you play any instrument?
Yes, yes I do. I play the piano. I’m mediocre at it right now but working everyday to get better.
Do you ever get nervous?
Yeah all the time. I do have a lot of nerves, basically everything makes me nervous. People, restaurants, cars. But nerves aren’t a bad thing, I get them all the time before performing live but performing is my absolute favorite thing to do.
Tell us about your new single “Not Your Princess?”
Well it’s a single and it’s called “Not Your Princess”. I wrote it a couple years ago. It’s about being yourself and also my deep dislike of being called Princess.
What’s the story behind the song?
Well whenever I say literally anything my dad usually responds with “go write a song about it.” This is basically how any of our conversations go. “Hey dad, I found an eagles nest in a tree I was climbing.” “That’s cool go write a song about it”. “Oh shoot I forget about the math homework I have.” “Well you should probably get that done and afterwards you can go write a song about it.” It gets annoying. But another thing that I find annoying is when he or other people call me ‘Princess.’ So when I brought it up to my dad and asked him to stop calling me that he said… yep you guessed it… ‘go write a song about it.’ I kind of just rolled my eyes and walked away but later that day a Sunday school teacher saw me and called me ‘Princess‘ and at that point I was fed up so I… yep, you guessed it… wrote a song about it.
Did you had plans/concerts planned and cancelled because of COVID? If so have you done any online concerts or interaction with your fans?
I had a few outside festival concerts canceled. I have done some Insta live concerts as ‘lead ups’ before releasing both singles, Eleanor Rigby and Not Your Princess.
Which project is still on your bucket list?
A bunch. I’ve always wanted to play with tigers or elephants. My mom and dad got to on a trip to Thailand and I was very jealous.
Performing in an arena to fans who would know my original music. I performed for a school in Utah last year and all the kids and teens knew the words to my songs and were singing along. It was awesome. Would love to recreate that on a larger scale.
Opening for a major artist or band would be amazing.
Meeting one or some of my music idols that I look up to and try to emulate would be cool. And even collaborating with one would be thrilling.
What is fun and rewarding about what you do? And what’s not?
People reacting to my voice; it’s amazing. Performing live is one of my favorite things to do. It gives you an adrenaline boost and the electricity from the audience and the band, you’ll never know how it feels till you do it, but take it from me it’s an amazing feeling.
What’s next for Kjersti Long in 2021?
Hopefully we get some live performances as Covid starts to go away. I’m going down to Nashville really soon to record some brand new music.
What is you favorite song? And why?
Goodness you’re really just hitting me with all the hard questions. Well my favorite song to sing is Bus Stop by The Hollies except there’s a twist, I rewrote it to make it more modern. My favorite song to listen to…well there’s a couple, any 80’s song; they’re all awesome. I had a boy band phase for a little bit so I like N’sync, currently though there are a couple Billie Eilish songs that I like.
Any loves other than music?
Yeah, I do horseback riding, hunter jumper type stuff. I also work at a horse farm on Fridays. I love reading, my dad likes to say that when I’m not singing, I’m reading. It’s a pretty accurate assumption. I love outside: camping, exploring woods, animals, etc.
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
Freddie Mercury. I think it would be so cool to be on stage with Freddie, he seems like a really fun guy to perform with.
Best advice ever given?
“Hard work surpasses talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
How’s a typical day in your life?
Wake up, read, scripture study with my family, music practice/piano practice, school, homework, more music usually just banging out songs on the piano, extracurricular activities (horseback, church activities, hanging with friends), dinner with family, usually more music (this time with my father), watch tv show with my mom and siblings or my mom reads to us (currently we are re-reading the Harry Potter series), reading on my own then bed time.
Name one of your strengths?
Well, honestly I think that my ability to empathize with others is one of my best strengths.
Idea of a perfect Sunday?
Going to church with my family, afterwards some peace time to color or read, and then yummy Sunday dinner.
What is you favorite song to belt out in the car/for karaoke?
Paramore songs are always fun to blast out, and this is gonna surprise you, Little Mix.
What is your own definition of happiness?
Knowing you’re loved and appreciated, which could also just be the feeling you get when you look at a puppy.
Do you support any charities?
Yeah I think I do, I can’t remember the names cause of my horrible memory. But we’ve definitely donated a whole ton of money to children’s hospitals and places like that.
What is your favorite healthy food?
I love healthy food, any vegetable: cucumber, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes (though they technically aren’t vegetables). I also love seaweed. Yeah, I know I’m a weird kid.
And your favorite cheat food?
I don’t know if this really counts as cheat but I love ‘smoothie king.’ I also really like ‘outshine bar‘ popsicles. I also wouldn’t mind some ‘Arby’s’ curly fries. Gosh now I’m hungry.
What would be a deal breaker on a first date?
Not liking dogs or cats.
How do you see yourself in 5 years?
I’m hoping that in five years I won’t be as clutzy. Also I’m hoping that I have even greater control of my voice.
How would you describe your fashion style?
I would call it nonexistent, others might call it the fashion style of a homeless person. If I could I’d go on stage in a pair of jeans and a black graphic tee. The style that I wear on stage is like a steam punk grunge rock sort of look but that’s just on stage.
What do you think of Social Media?
It’s got it’s negatives and it’s positives. It’s the perfect place to build fan base and share my music.
Where we can follow you?
On insta @Kjersti.long same on Facebook I believe. I do also have a YouTube channel.
Quote: “You can’t take the darkness out of a dark room but you can fill the room with light.” Lindsey Stirling.
Movie: Any Marvel movie.
Travel Destination: Currently we’re going to Nashville.
Sports Team: BYU cougars, and Seattle Seahawks.
Photos: Kurt Csolak
